Worcester Peterborough Train

With Birmingham to the north and Gloucester to the south, the city of Worcester is located in the West Midlands of England. The picturesque city is dominated by its cathedral and by the River Severn that runs though it. The city hosts a number of cultural events each year. The Worcester Festival celebrates a variety of music, theatre and cinema and is held every August. The festival concludes with a firework display on the banks of the River Severn on the Monday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Now in its 4th year the city also hosts the Worcester Music Festival which includes original music performed mainly by local bands and artists. Performances are free and are held in the many bars, clubs and community buildings in the city, including churches. Another recently formed event is the Worcester Film Festival that was founded in 2012. The festival is focused on placing Worcestershire on the film-making map and encourages local people to get involved in film making. Finally, there is the Victorian themed Christmas Fayre which attracts many visitors each year.

Composer Sir Edward Elgar's father ran a music shop at the end of High Street and a statue of Sir Edward Elgar stands near the original location of that shop. His birthplace is a short way outside Worcester in the village of Broadheath.

The city of Peterborough, in the county of Cambridgeshire, has a mix of attractions from countryside walks, nature reserves and villages to city centre heritage attractions. Explore the city's Norman Cathedral with magnificent architecture set in beautiful grounds or visit Burghley House, John Clare Cottage and Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre with its historic Watermill. The Nene Park, which opened in 1978, covers a site 3.5 miles long, from slightly west of Castor to the centre of Peterborough. The park has three lakes, one of which houses a watersports centre. Ferry Meadows, one of the major destinations and attractions signposted on the Green Wheel, occupies a large portion of Nene Park. Orton Mere provides access to the east of the park. Southey Wood, once included in the Royal Forest of Rockingham, is a mixed woodland maintained by the Forestry Commission between the villages of Upton and Ufford. Nearby, Castor Hanglands, Barnack Hills and Holes and Bedford Purlieus national nature reserves are each sites of special scientific interest. In 2002 the Hills and Holes, one of Natural England's 35 spotlight reserves, was designated a special area of conservation as part of the Natura 2000 network of sites throughout the European Union.